"Well, the effort seems to have been worthwhile," Eva said. "When you do get to bed, you'll know it was a job well done." Eva didn't have much--or any, really--experience with creating any sort of event, so it all seemed very impressive to her. For her part, she appreciated the lack of scrutiny that came with being a guest rather than being the person in charge of making sure things ran smoothly.

"That does sound nicer," Evangeline agreed, sincerely. "I always thought I would enjoy society balls more if they were less stuffy." They had their own merits, of course, but Evangeline had never quite fit with that scene, even if she was supposed to. She'd never been very good at doing what she was supposed to. That might have been the entire problem.

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